


Clarification

by Hekate1308



Series: Balance and New Beginnings [7]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, M/M, season 12 au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-15 22:58:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10559120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hekate1308/pseuds/Hekate1308
Summary: It’s not the word in itself. They are familiar with the word. They have even thrown the word at each other in their worst moments. It’s that – Mary used the word. And Sam knows what it means to her. He’s had a whole year by her side to learn.





	

It’s not the word in itself.

They are familiar with the word. They have even thrown the word at each other in their worst moments.

It’s that – Mary used the word.

And Sam knows what it means to her. He’s had a whole year by her side to learn.

_Don’t listen to him, Sammy. He’s left us, he’s with a supernatural creature, the King of Hell is his friend. He stole from the bunker._

_He’s become a_ monster _. He’s one of them._

Monster.

There’s nothing worse in Mary’s book.

For reasons Sam never understood, she even considers monsters worse than demons, ghosts, probably the devil himself.

For her to call one of her sons that...

He doesn’t regret breaking his phone.

He never wants to hear from her again.

There’s a knock on his door. They retired pretty soon after dinner, Sam in no mood for talking.

He’ll tell Dean eventually. But he has to calm down first. It will hurt his borther enough without him making a big deal out of it.

“Come in” he calls.

Crowley appears in front of his bed.

“New phone”.

He hands the device to Sam.

“Thanks.”

“You’re sure you don’t want to tell me what mummy wrote?”

It’s for the best he doesn’t. They both know it. Being friends with Crowley doesn’t mean forgetting what he’s capable of.

Although to his shame he has to admit that for just a second, Sam toys with the idea.

He really spent too much time with the Men of Letters.

Crowley nods.

“Quite right”.

Sam has the strange feeling he just passed some sort of test.

“Crowley?” he asks quickly before the demon can disappear to his room (which he hasn’t seen yet, but which according to Dean contains several old records and quite a few choices of Craig), “I am very grateful, but... why?”

He waves his hand to indicate the room that’s no housing everything he kept in his duffle bag and everything he left behind in the bunker.

It’s the kind of question Dean just instinctively knows the answer to. Sam always has to ask.

Maybe he’s too sceptical in some places when he’s been too trusting in others in the past.

At first, he doesn’t think Crowley will answer.

Then, the demon says, “Because this is the best I have felt in a while” and vanishes.

Sam understands that.

Two days later, a vampire called Connie whose nest Dean and Cas saved a while back calls Dean.

“Connie? Yeah, we’re good... No, wait, calm down – I assure you, we’re completely safe – seriously”.

It takes a few minutes to calm her down. Apparently she’s grown quite attached to them all.

“What? Alright. Yes, we knew they were...”

Dean listens.

“Thanks for telling us.”

He hangs up.

“We need to start calling people. Apparently the Men of Letters want to mobilize their forces.”

“How many hunters were working with them again?” Crowley asks, having appeared mid-conversation.

“The numbers were always... fluctuating” Sam readily supplies, “and most weren’t really convinced to begin with. Plus – I don’t think American hunters will be of much help. Dean’s a legend.”

“Aw, we both are Sammy. And don’t forget Cas – should’ve seen the twins when they first met him.”

“That’s not what I meant” he says, slowly. They have to know where they stand.

“Dean – everyone knows I drank demon blood. Fair enough, it was my choice. And Cas – no offense, but he was an angel, and most angels were okay with the Apocalypse. You are the one Winchester –“

“Who turned into a demon?”

“I don’t recall you complaining at the time” Crowley comments.

“Dean, you took on the Mark of Cain to defeat Abaddon.”

“And you drank demon blood to prevent – “

“Might we focus on the problem at hand instead of playing the “who did something slightly problematic for the nobler reasons” game?” Crowley interrupts them.

“Crowley’s right” Cas says. “The Men of Letters might not have our experience, but they are strong. We need to be careful.”

“Do you think they know about our network?” Dean asks, visibly worried.

Cas shakes his head.

“We’ve taken too much care to warn everyone. Unless one of those we’ve helped should turn against us...”

“Which I would strongly advise against...” Crowley pipes in.

“Maybe we could try and find out through Mary” Dean says.

Sam shakes his head.

“I’m not calling her. There’s no use.”

“I know what she wrote upset you – “

“She called you a _monster_ ” he spits out, forgetting about his plan to wait until he’s calmed down some more.

“She called _you_ a _monster_ ” he repeats helplessly.

Dean doesn’t get it.

“Yeah, well – I kind of am – “

“No, Dean. I – I know what she means when she says it. It’s not okay.”

The year he spent with the Men of letters comes back to him. All those lonely evenings, all these senseless killings, running from target to target, no time to breathe, no one to make sure if he was okay, no one to look out for either, if he is being honest –

“What – Sammy, breathe!”

When he comes to, he’s sitting in a chair. Dean presses a glass of water into his hands.

Even Crowley looks worried.

“Sorry. This group – they – it kinda does a number on you” he mumbles.

“Hey”.

Cas grabs his shoulder.

“We understand Sam. It’s not easy to turn your back once you’ve got used to obedience.”

Cas should know better than anyone.

“Which” Dean announces “is why we are going to take them down.”

He grins.

“I mean, we did build up the monster network. Might as well use it.”

“No one who has children or is too young to understand what they are doing” Sam adds automatically in Crowley’s general direction.

“What do you take me for?” the demon asks, genuinely baffled.

Sam’s starting to wonder just how much the last one and a half years have affected Crowley.

“I’m calling Garth” Dean says.

“I’ll try to reach Mel – “ Cas adds.

Crowley sighs dramatically.

“Okay then. I guess I could help out a lot here – do they know they can trust me?”

“Sure. Told them there was this one annoying Brit they can deal with in case we’re ever unavailable” Dean replies absently.

“Oh – Garth? Yeah, listen...”

As Crowley disappears again, Sam opens his laptop.

He’s been hacking into the Men of Letter’s database regularly.

They’ve built it up meticulously, really. It’s easy to find stuff.

So it’s not difficult to figure out that they have created a new file.

_Winchester, D., S., C._

He’ll have to tell Cas later. He bets Dean’s face is going to be priceless.

Then again, maybe not. They’re more or less married already.

**_Status updated._ **

_Dean Winchester: classified as enemy_

_Castiel Winchester: classified as enemy_

_Sam Winchester: classified as possible_

_Elimination of Nr 1 &2 recommended. _

“Not a chance” he mumbles to himself.

And that’s when he has an idea.

True, for a few days they won’t be able to tell what the Men of Letters are doing.

But for these few days, they won’t be able to do anything, so...

* * *

 

Mick can’t quite put his fingers on what is going on with Mary Winchester, these days. She and Ketch seemed to get on well, but ever since he disappeared – rather, was murdered by or because of her sons – she hasn’t really spoken to anyone.

He still hasn’t completely given up on Sam, however. He’s an excellent hunter, and for over a year they didn’t have the slightest problem with him.

Until he walked out.

But then, he wasn’t formally trained like they were. Maybe the pressure became too much. It is hard work they are doing.

He learns better when suddenly every single computer in their base crashes.

“What’s happening?” he calls out.

Elton and Willoughby, who arrived just a few days ago to replace those they lost to the vampires, can only shrug their shoulders.

A few seconds later, right before the computers fry once and for all, a single message pops up.

_Count me as an enemy, too.  
SW_


End file.
